Day 1, Monday
On Monday we gathered in the studio at 9 a.m. We were given our project brief and a short explanation from Poorang. We were later joined by Hazelwick School and Chichester College students.
Our client, Care co-op’s CEO came to speak to us about the project and requirements. He gave us more information about our user group as well as the site. We were informed that our plot size would be a 10 sq m plot of land and our budget is 7000 pounds.
Once divided into groups, we learnt a little about our new colleagues- their strengths and areas of “expertise”. In our group were Tom from Chichester College, Kiera and Semini from Hazelwick School and Me, Takuya and William from University of Brighton.
We set up communication networks between us. Whatsapp and FaceTime. We had a little discussion about sensory environments and designing spaces for disabled people. Textures, routes etc were to be kept in mind while designing.
After a break, John Smith, a former brighton university student came to share his knowledge about shipping container houses. His dissertation was about the same, and he has experience in converting shipping containers into usable living spaces.
He discussed the material used to make shipping containers, i.e. high carbon steel called corten steel, which is designed to be used in a wet and salty environment and can be bashed around without much damage. He also informed us about the different sixes of containers, the problem of condensation due to cold bridging, the insulation needed as well as some existing projects that converted containers into livable spaces.
John was succeeded by Noel, who spoke about the benefits and drawbacks of using containers- the upside being they have a long life-cycle and are reusable, the downside being the low ceiling height and the costs involved in using containers. These include costs involved in purchasing, converting, moving and maintenance of containers.
Soon after, we delegated work and started making decisions about our eco cabin.
- We decided that the door could be drop down so it can double up as a ramp for wheelchair access.
- The eco cabin would sit on sleepers to avoid making a concrete bed which isn’t very eco-friendly.
- Solar panels would be used to generate electricity.
- Cladding could be possibly made of recycled pallets keeping in mind the environment, costs as well as blending in with our surroundings. Le Corbusier’s Le Cabanon came to mind while talking about cladding and small spaces. Chopped logs were also considered as in Le Cabanon’s case. (Fig 1)
Fig 1 Le Cabanon (www.flickr.com)
- We thought of maybe using the pallets to make furniture as well. (Fig 2) They can be painted in any colour to make it aesthetically pleasing.
Fig 2 Furniture made from pallets (palletfurniteureplans.com)
- Solar panels would be at an angle so we decided we could make a pitched roof and put our water tank and other services inside the roof.
- The solar panels would also help us with the orientation of our cabin. The panels would face the sun and thus the front of our cabin would be facing south.
- We also considered a green roof and tried to figure out how we could incorporate it.
- We thought about the plan layout, and decided on a basic layout. We considered making an entrance on one of the shorter sides. However that wasn’t giving us a proper route to escape in case of a fire. Hence we considered two doors, one on each short side. This was leaving us with insufficient space for everything. We finally decided that the entrance would be in the middle of the longer side as to make it easier for escape in case of a fire.
- The toilet and kitchen would be close to each other so as to make it easier for water transportation.
- A wood burning stove was considered.
Day 2, Tuesday
Today, our group was divided with everyone in their respective organisations. The University of Brighton students spent most of our time finalizing a layout for our cabin that works the best.
In the meantime Hazelwick stuednts Kiera and Semini researched about railway sleepers as well as combined some costs involved for the interior of our cabin.
Tom, from Chichester college started building the basic structure of the 1:5 model of our cabin.
The first thing we finalized was the exact position of our entrance so that Tom could get down to building the structure. However, the first layout that went with this entrance was soon scrapped. (Fig 3)
Fig 3 Initial plan
We decided on keeping 150mm for our insulation, cavity and interior cladding. We found out that our cabin’s use will be seasonal- It will only be hosting people during the summer.
We started drawing up more plans, looking at caravan layouts for ideas. (Fig 4)
Fig 4 Trying different plans at the scale 1:100
The toilet was an issue as we need enough space for a wheelchair to be taken in for the disabled person to easily use both the toilet and the shower seat to shower. After some brainstorming, we figured it out. (Fig 5)
Fig 5
We also made a preliminary list of materials that we would need. (Fig 6)
Fig 6
By the evening, Tom had prepared the basic structure of the model, and he had done a great job! (Fig 7)
Fig 7 (Basic model)
We decided that a water pump will be used to transport the water to where needed. We also decided that we will need a water heater to heat the water for showers, etc. Food can be cooked on a singular electric hot plate.
We then retired from university at 5pm.
Day 3, Wednesday
Today, we made our way to Chichester College where we were joined by our mates from Hazelwick School. As the group was reunited, the plan for the day was set and tasks were divided. Tom, Takuya and William would be working on completing our model downstairs while me, Semini and Kiera would be upstairs researching and continuing our cost analysis.
Semini researched rainwater harvesting and also made some scale drawings of our cabin showing dimensions and use. Kiera researched sensory environments.
I made a rough site plan showing the sun and wind path. (Fig 8)
Fig 8
I then continued with cost research and other requirements.
- Ventilation for the cavity in the walls would be through natural ventilation. This would require a few vents and nothing more.
- For blind people- guides— handrails, textures? Eg smooth where walls are, rough/textured near corners/turns? Even colours can be used for others. Different materials for flooring can also be used to tell them where they are.
- Water tank- 500l capacity.
- Most of the cost analysis was done as shown below. This list still needs to be updated. (Updated version posted later)
| ITEM | PRICE | QUANTITY NEEDED | TOTAL COST | ||
| Shipping container | 1000 | 1 | 1000 | ||
| Pallets | 0 | 0 | |||
| toilet sink | 61 | 1 | 61 | ||
| kitchen sink with lid | 100 | 1 | 100 | ||
| toilet | 289 | 1 | 289 | ||
| water tank | 176.00 | 1 | 176 | ||
| light bulbs | 7.29 | (for 5) | 1 | 7.29 | |
| solar panels | 249.99 | 6 | 1499.94 | ||
| battery | 58 | 1 | 58 | ||
| water pump | 51 | 1 | 51 | ||
| vents | 4 | 4 | 16 | ||
| water heater | 154 | 1 | 154 | ||
| windows (timber framed) | 400 | 5 | 2000 | ||
| water filter | 19.95 | 1 | 19.95 | ||
| water hose | 1.25 | per m | 12 | 15 | |
| shower | 70 | 1 | 70 | ||
| kitchen tap | 20 | 1 | 20 | ||
| total | 5537.18 | ||||
- The mechanism for the sofa and table that converts into a double bed was decided. (Fig 9)
Fig 9 Sofa+table converting to bed.
- At around 3:30 after i finished the basic costs and Kiera and Semini left us, I joined the boys downstairs to help with building the furniture.
- The pallets had already been nailed on and the roof’s angle successfully changed to 30 degrees (It was 45 degrees earlier and need to be changed)
- We decided to make a farmework for a green wall. We hope that plants will grow along this framework once set up on site.
- Some changes to our plan were made, the outcome shown below. (Fig 10 & 11)
Fig 10. Option 1
Fig 11 Option 2
We were quite satisfied with our model at the end of the day. (Fig 12,13,14)
Fig 12 Model
Fig 13 showing the framework for the green wall.
Fig 14
As we made our way to Brighton, a few more tasks were assigned. William was to draw up the new plan to scale. I was to research insulation and cost.
I also tried to depict how the cabin would look on site. (Fig 15)
Fig 15.
Day 4, Thursday
Me and Takuya met in the studio at 9 and we started our work. William stayed home to communicate with Tom about the positioning of the windows so he could start cutting. William informed us the new plan was not working and we would have to stick to the old one. This set us back as the old plan was a bit of a tight squeeze. And it was too late to discuss it further.
Takuya made the rest of the furniture as well as the basic layout of the poster. William made the solar panels to go on our model. I worked on detailing the exterior cladding and the floor. (Fig 16,17,18,19)
Fig 16. Showing connections between the elements in the exterior cladding. A framework made of timber is bolted onto the exterior of the container. The pallets are bolted onto timber sheathing which has a hooking mechanism. This is hooked onto the timber framework and bolted on at the top and bottom.
This makes it easy to simply remove all the cladding, making it easy to transport.
Fig 17. Section of how the exterior cladding works. Hooked onto the framework and bolted at the top and bottom.
Researching Flooring, I considered laminate since it is waterproof. While looking at eco friendly flooring i found FSC certified laminate.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
The FSC accreditation scheme clearly identifies timber which comes from well managed and well protected sources. It concerns itself with how forests are managed; from a social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual viewpoint and pays respect to present and future generations in all its dealings.
However, I soon shifted to Linoleum due to it’s eco friendly ingredients. Linoleum is created from a concoction of linseed oil, cork dust, tree resins, wood flour, pigments and ground limestone. Like cork, it is fire retardant and water resistant. It has a long shelf life and will hold up to a lot of wear and tear.
We decided to keep the existing flooring of the container as it offers a flat surface for our floor. This floor would be covered in rigid walk on insulation onto which our linoleum boards would be fitted.
Fig 18.
Fig 19.
I also finished up the rest of the cost sheet as shown below:
| ITEM | PRICE | QUANTITY NEEDED | TOTAL COST | ||
| Shipping container | 1000 | 1 | 1000 | ||
| Pallets | 0 | 0 | |||
| hand wench 7.6m wire | 21.98 | 1 | 21.98 | ||
| toilet sink | 61 | 1 | 61 | ||
| kitchen sink with lid | 100 | 1 | 100 | ||
| toilet | 289 | 1 | 289 | ||
| water tank | 176.00 | 1 | 176 | ||
| insulation panels (for wall) | 20 | per sq m | 40 | 800 | |
| light bulbs | 7.29 | (for 5) | 1 | 7.29 | |
| solar panels | 249.99 | 6 | 1499.94 | ||
| battery | 58 | 1 | 58 | ||
| water pump | 51 | 1 | 51 | ||
| vents | 4 | 4 | 16 | ||
| mini fridge | 200 | 1 | 200 | ||
| carpet flooring | 1.67 | 19 | 31.73 | ||
| water heater | 154 | 1 | 154 | ||
| windows (timber framed) | 400 | 5 | 2000 | ||
| Floor rigid insulation | 10.02 | per slab | 5 | 50.1 | |
| linol flooring | 17.889 | per sq m | 15 | 268.335 | |
| water filter | 19.95 | 1 | 19.95 | ||
| water hose | 1.25 | per m | 12 | 15 | |
| shower | 70 | 1 | 70 | ||
| kitchen tap | 20 | 1 | 20 | ||
| total | 6909.325 | ||||
At night, after Takuya handed me the layout of the poster and William sent me his drawings and both of their precedent studies, I started compiling everything and putting it onto the poster.
Day 5, Friday
I woke early to finish off the poster. The boys touched up the final model. We printed and set up our work for presentation. (Fig 20)
Fig 20.
After our presentation, I realised there were many flaws with our design and we somehow modelled our windows wrong. However, it was a great learning experience! Hopefully I won’t make the same mistakes again while designing. I also realised how stressful group work can actually be and will be prepared next time. It was also really nice to see others’ designs and how different groups came up with different ideas. It was great to be working with people outside the university and travelling to Chichester!
All in all a great experience that I had much to learn from.
green roof possibilities in keeping with the Eco' brief ..
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